


Darkness Falls

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Canon - Enhances original, Poetry, War of the Ring, Writing - Clear prose, Writing - Engaging style, Writing - Every word counts, Writing - Evocative, Writing - Mythic/Poetic, Writing - Well-handled PoV(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-22 21:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3743634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sestina on the death of Boromir. Inspired by both book-verse and movie-verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Darkness Falls

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at [HASA](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Henneth_Ann%C3%BBn_Story_Archive), which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the [HASA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hasa/profile).

I knew a city once. There in the dawn, the light  
would touch the walls with hands of gleaming gold  
and fall to cut the Anduin with shards of silver.  
Climbing the tower as evening came, I turned my eyes  
toward the West. The glad, red sun sang in my blood,  
then bent to gently stroke the flanks of mountains dark.

But in the East we saw the sky grow strangely dark.  
The Lord of Mordor threatened to blot out the light  
and stain our white walls with a shower of blood.  
My younger brother had a dream, of leaves of gold  
and elves and prophecy. I saw, reflected in his eyes,  
the fragments of a shattered sword that shone like silver.

Imladris called me, drew me. There I found the silver  
sword in pieces. Sitting in the shadowed dark,  
I saw a man. Like pieces of the sword, his eyes.  
They cut into my heart. I felt not pain, but light.  
The wounds they made, they filled, as liquid gold  
may fill an empty mold, as hot and thick as blood.

I knew not who he was, whose lineage, what blood.  
We met again in Council in the misted silver  
dawn. But then the halfling placed Isildur’s gold  
before us. There it lay, a way to end the dark.  
I reached toward it, gleaming, bathed in its own light,  
but all around me saw the horror in their eyes.

In Lórien a lady fair and sad turned eyes  
toward mine. In them I saw that all of Gondor’s blood  
could neither stop nor stay the downfall of the light.  
I went to sit alone. I thought of pearl and silver,  
bright Ecthelion. Then out of shadows dark  
walked one who carried in him hope as rare as gold.

Yet that hope failed me. Beckoning, the bane of gold  
soon whispered lies, brought fear into the halfling’s eyes.  
I found myself again, too late. Too late. The dark  
tide came. I paid what price I could. My blood  
flows on the ground. Theirs fouls the once-bright silver  
of my sword. I never thought I would betray the light.

His voice, true gold, assures me I redeemed with blood  
my fault. His grey eyes touch my face with pearl and silver  
tears, hold back the dark. But dare I touch the light?

*******

Author's note: The sestina is an unrhymed form that uses six repeating words to end lines in a set pattern. It originated in the Middle Ages with French troubadours. Further discussion of the sestina history and form can be found [here](http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/sestina.htm).


End file.
